ACPS is celebrating the rollout of five new electric school buses to join its 118-vehicle fleet. The electric buses were purchased by ACPS with the assistance of the Dominion Energy Electric School Bus Program. ACPS purchased five of the 50 buses that were part of this program. The new electric vehicles help ACPS reach the largest percentage of clean energy among Northern Virginia school divisions.
“I want to commend the ACPS Transportation and Facilities & Operations teams for all of their hard work to bring electric buses to our school division. I’m excited about the partnership behind this initiative and thank Dominion Energy and all whose support made this possible. We continually seek ways to support our students, and these new buses will help our students get to school safely while protecting our environment,” said Superintendent Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.
The division introduced the new electric-powered buses at a plug-in event on Nov. 16 that included Superintendent Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr., School Board Chair Meagan L. Alderton, members of the School Board and City Council, as well as representatives from Dominion Energy and the Sonny Merryman, Inc. bus dealership company. The electric school buses are part of ACPS’ commitment to sustainability and hybrid vehicles; they operate entirely by electrical power, help store electricity and stabilize the power grid while creating a quieter ride for students.
“The drivers were nervous at first to make the switch to electric buses, but now they all say it’s the best bus they’ve ever driven,” said ACPS Bus Driver Archie Woods. “The students don’t even know when the school bus pulls up because it’s so quiet. My favorite feature is the 360-degree cameras on the inside and outside of the bus.”
The full press release on the electric buses is available on the ACPS website.